9 Foods To Avoid Before Going To Bed

One of the leading causes of sleeplessness is stress and anxiety. So our last meal of the day should not cause stress. What we eat in the dinner or just before bed can have direct effect on our sleeping patterns. While there are foods that can induce sleep like milk ,oats and banana , other foods like fried food or junk food can cause sleepless nights. So if you want peaceful sleepy and relaxing nights , here are few foods that you must avoid before going to bed.

1. Caffeine is a strong stimulant and helps people to stay awake. So until you are a night blogger like me, avoid caffeine at night. One cup of coffee can keep you awake for as long as 5 hours. Enjoy your coffee in the morning breakfast.
2. Alcohol ? Another bad idea . You may think that alcohol can help you fall asleep during night , but the fact is it will only make you drowsy. Alcohol alters natural sleeping patterns and badly affects revitalizing capability of night sleep. Next morning you may not feel as active as you should be , heard of hangover ?
3. Cola drinks are another bad habit which is a gift of modern lifestyle. Cola drinks contain caffeine which will keep you awake for a long time like Owls.  Even if you fall asleep with cola drink , you have to wake up many times for pee. So if you are not an owl, avoid this drink.
4. Feel helpless in front of Butter Masala Chicken ? Most of the Indians have spicy diet in the dinner. Spices cause acid release in the stomach during night leading to pain , uneasiness and bloating. These can keep you sleepless all night. So avoid spices or have mild spices food in dinner and at least 3 hours before you go to bed.
5. Red meat contains fats and proteins and takes very long to digest.  If you eat red meat in the dinner , your body will be busy in digesting it all night and making you feel uneasiness. When you go to bed, your body also needs to relax so avoid red meat or other heavy fatty diet.
6. I too love fried foods, but avoid them at night. Fried food take a lot of time to digest and you may feel cramps throughout the night. Try to have quick veggie snacks like carrots, cucumber or spinach salad , if you feel hunger just before going to bed.
7. Chocolates are also high in caffeine , sugar and fat. These may keep you awake for a long time.
8. In a study published in The Journal of The Mind and Body reveals that eating candies and junk foods at bedtime can trigger nightmarish brain waves and lead to nightmares. So avoid candies at bedtime especially kids.
9. A small serving of fruits can be ideal desert but if you go full fruit pack after you dinner than get ready for sleepless night. The fact is fruits contain a lot of sugar which starts fermenting over your food in the stomach releasing of a lot of gas. It can lead to chest pain and uneasy night.